How to Love Your Elf - (Embraced by Magic) by Kerrelyn Sparks (Paperback)

I’ve loved each story so far of the girls who grew to be sisters, each of them embraced with special abilities. This was a great addition to the previous books! (But the beginning of a new series? I can get behind that!) Sorcha is captured when a plan to meet Gwen’s mother fails. Even as she sets out to rescue herself, a stranger interferes. Soon she’s taken captive again, this time by the Woodsman. But the further they travel and the more she learns about him, she begins to question if she’s his captive or if he’s rescuing her. The Woodsman was a great hero. Not over the top about the heroine, but irresistibly drawn to her. I loved that she confused him and his emotions and often times had him talking to himself. She sent him on quite a bit of a chase. ’She was definitely a sneaky one. Unpredictable. Surprising. A challenge. His mouth tilted up. He’d always enjoyed a challenge.’ While Sorcha was tough enough when needed, she suffered from anxiety when anyone she cared for was in danger. To me, that just seemed like what any normal person would do, but for some reason it was a negative characteristic, at least for her. However, I loved her innocence (gotta read about the community picnic) and her ability to keep the Woodsman guessing. ’”The Woodsman will have a plan.” Liz smirked. “The Woodsman always has a plan.” The crowd gave the Woodsman an expectant, hopeful look as he came to a stop in front of them. “So?” Father Kit turned toward him. “What’s the plan?” [Heck] if I know.’ This has a lot of humor interspersed within the drama and action. With some political intrigue as well as threats from a force that wants to rule the world, this story had plenty of layers to keep me engaged. There is a lot of romance here but very little steam. Normally, that would be okay but there was also a lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine, so even when I did get to what should have been the steamy parts, I just kinda skimmed through them. However, that did not take away from my overall enjoyment of this book.

This book definitely sparked my interest quick! I was a little skeptical at first because I haven't read any books about Elves before.... But it was amazing. The story line is incredible and keeps you intrigued. The characters are wonderful with their own personalities and abilities without being overly annoying and into themselves. Diving into the world of Elves and Embraced Magic was possible with the details and descriptions. And it is definitely a world I want to continue to escape too! This book is well balanced with magic, love, adventure, intamacy, deciet and deception!